1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bed canopies, in particular to improvements in bed canopies with mirrors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mirrors have been used with beds for many years for aesthetic and observational reasons, yet only in the last few years has the popularity of incorporating mirrors in beds flourished.
Present day canopies use mirrors mounted in a lattice framework above the bed. The mirrors are small squares, safety coated with rubberized backing, and laid onto the lattice framework. One of the obvious flaws with this arrangement is the framework interfering with the observed images, thus the observer views chopped or broken views. Another disadvantage is that planar distortion of the images result due to the mirrors not lying exactly in the same geometric plane whereby slight variations in height from one mirror to the next will cause this distortion. Still another disadvantage is that the canopy is so high that it reduces the size of the observed images.
The main usage of mirrors in today's beds are on headboards. They are designed as part of the bed, not of the canopy. The mirrors on the top and headboard are mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the bed's surface, thereby making it difficult to view the images unless one is either sitting up or lying down. These canopies are also limited with respect to aesthetically incorporating audio-visual components or attachments due to their initial design.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide the observers, looking at the mirrors while within the canopy, easy views of themselves by proper tilting of the mirrors towards the observers. A second object is to provide the observers with complete, full length, unbroken images by the use of large uncut mirrors. A third object is to reduce planar distortion of the images by mounting the mirrors on rigid flat panels. A fourth object is to provide a safe rugged mirrored panel without the hazard of injury from shattered glass and without the added cost of applying a rubberized safety backing. A fifth object is to provide the observer a variety of easily viewed images from different directions by having many mirrored panels properly positioned around the bed. A sixth object is to provide the observer with large images by mounting the mirrored panels close to the observer. A seventh object is to provide an improvement of the top mirrored panels of present canopies by supplying the observer with two images instead of just one. An eighth object is to provide a novel technique of having the mirrors act visually as mirrors and also as windows for various viewing applications. A ninth object is to provide mirrors on the sides of the bed, thereby enclosing it, yet have the ability to move the mirrors for access to and from the bed. A tenth object is to provide a clean uncluttered canopy design which can be combined with many additional functions with out detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the canopy.
For a better understanding of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be made to the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims, in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.